The Corona Virus or 2019-nCoV has been confirmed present in two people in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Students around campus have mixed levels of concerns about the danger of the virus and anxieties about its contagiousness.

When asked if they were worried about the virus, one student announced, “Nah. [The virus is] overhyped”.

According to the CDC, “This is a very serious public health threat. The fact that this virus has caused severe illness and sustained person-to-person spread in China is concerning, but it’s unclear how the situation in the United States will unfold at this time.”

Morgan Beaverson stated that she was “Not really [worried]. It’s getting a lot of attention, but its death rate isn’t that high”.

Currently, the CDC has confirmed 6 people who have contracted the coronavirus in the U.S., with 121 cases pending results. No one in the United States has died yet.

The virus is a new disease not previously known to be found in humans. It was first discovered in China, where thousands are now infected. The virus is spread from person to person but was initially found only in animals with the rare case of the disease spreading from animal to person.

An anonymous student said that they are nervous about the virus “because I feel like college kids don’t keep up on cleanliness like they should”

Jessica Lynt states, “I mean, to be honest, I am a little worried because of how fast it is spreading, but I think as long as no one does anything dumb, and we all take good precautions toward not getting sick, we’ll be fine.”

For those concerned about the virus, there are recommended precautions that can be taken. The Defiance County Health Department’s website states to prevent the spread of diseases, like the coronavirus, is to wash hands, avoid touching face, nose, and mouth, avoid sick people, stay home if sick, and always to cover your nose and mouth when sneezing.

Another student said, “I’m not super worried about right now, but if there happen to be more cases, especially close to the U.S., then I will be more worried.”

More information about the virus can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html or contact your local health care provider.

You may have seen the emails every week from Fred Coulter, about an event called “Mindfulness and Meditation”.

Dr. Coulter was recently appointed the Schauffler Chair of Christian Education, and started the Mindfulness and Meditation program in order to “Offer something to enhance faith on the DC Campus.”.

The actual meditation of the activity is an unguided process.The sole tool used to structure it is a ‘mindfulness app’ that Dr. Coulter uses to keep track of time. “We wanted to let people do their own type of meditation, but also needed some form of structure. The app is set for ten minutes, with a bell ringing to start. It rings in three-minute intervals, and then three times at the end of the ten minutes.”

In the emails sent out by Dr. Coulter, it reads that mindfulness is “the process of being aware of our thoughts, bodily sensations, and the surrounding environment.” In part along with this, meditation is described as “the practice of letting go of ourselves and letting in the power greater than ourselves, who some call God”.

Despite being the Chair of Christian Education, Dr. Coulter emphasizes that the activity is open to all that are willing to join. “The meetings are small, with a turnout that sort of rotates, people come when they have time in a very drop-in manner week by week.”

The Mindfulness and Meditation activity is structured in a certain order, Gathering Thoughts and Centering Through Mindfulness, Introductions, Preparation for Meditation, and Meditation and Listening. According to the email, “I recommend that you do not worry about how well you’re doing it nor get caught up in the technique.”

Mindfulness and Meditation meet weekly on Tuesdays in the Cultural Arts Center on Serrick Hall’s second floor at 12:05 pm, and Dr. Coulter emails weekly on Mondays at about 9 am as reminders and to let anyone know if certain plans change.

Defiance College Annual Thanksgiving dinner was November 21st, but this is not the only time that we have had it.

The dinner was a great time to gather with the people you care about. “I had a really good experience at the Thanksgiving Dinner. “It was nice because the volleyball team was able to get back together again for a meal,” said Mackenzie Umbaugh, a freshman Restoration Ecology major.

The food was another delicious factor. “I thought it was so much better than regular dinner and I would eat that more often if they had it,” Umbaugh said. “My favorite food was turkey. It was cooked really well.”

The dinner had professors serving food, which was an interesting part of the night. “I think the professors serving food was hilarious just because normally you only see them in class, but at the dinner, you got to see them after hours which was super strange. But otherwise, they did a great job,” Umbaugh said.

Barbara Sedlock, Lead Librarian and Coordinator of Metadata & Archives, also commented on the professors serving food. “You have the role reversal thing which is fun,” said Sedlock.

Thanksgiving dinner has been going on for a very long time. “I seem to remember that it started with a faculty staff serving when Jan Bechtel was hired as the college Chaplin in 1986,” said Sedlock.

The history of Thanksgiving at Defiance Collegegoes all the way back to 1909. According to memory.defiance.edu, the Thanksgiving events started with just a taffy pull, which is the constant pulling and folding over of taffy, for people that didn’t go home for the holidays.

Events changed from taffy pulling and seemed to get more interesting at Defiance College forThanksgiving and it included: “In 1914,they roasted marshmallows in the dorm’s fireplace,” said Sedlock. “In 1922,a Preachers vs. Seculars basketball game was held; the Preachers won. Women also had a basketball game. The dinner was served after the game.”

Now that we’ve had the first snowfall of the year, it may be time to prepare your vehicle for the winter months.

If you’re a commuter or have a parking pass but live on campus, preparations for winter storms and below freezing weather could benefit you, It could also save car owners plenty of money and time down the road.

According to Lisa Marsalek, the Dean of Students, “There are 159 students with parking permits on campus.”

Using the data from Marsalek, over 100 of these students are from Ohio. However, we also have students who come from out of state, some of whom may be experiencing their first northern winters, including Texas, Georgia, and Florida.

Michael Schockman, the manager at the Autozone on North Clinton Street, had some advice on dealing with winters. “You have to keep in mind all winters are different, some are colder and some have more snow, but there are some general rules that we like people to know.”

According to Schockman, the first of these rules is to make sure that you have your vehicle serviced before and after winter. “Fall and spring are good times to make sure nothing’s wrong, to prepare for winter and make sure nothing’s hurt from over the course of it.”

“Check your owner’s manual for when it’s suggested to get your car looked at,” Schockman advised. “Generally the rule is four or five months, but all cars and conditions need things different.”

Black squirrels are very rare, but at Defiance College there are many of them.

“For many people, seeing a squirrel or two is part of our daily routine,” said the DNR, Department of Natural Resources.

You might think that black squirrels are their own species, but they are actually just another type of eastern fox squirrel. “Black squirrels have melanism or excessive pigmentation in its fur,” said the DNR.

You might see these squirrels wandering around the Defiance College campus and think that there’s something different about these squirrels then what you’ve ever seen at home. “Eastern fox squirrels are much bulkier than the gray squirrel, typically weighing one and a half times as much,” said the DNR.

You may think that those black squirrels are just a typical sight in Ohio, but they’re rarer than you think. “I have never seen a black squirrel until I came to Defiance and I’m from Cleveland, Ohio,” said Davonte Lyle, an undecided freshman from Defiance College.

There are many people that believe there is only a certain color that squirrels can be. “I thought the only color that squirrels came in was brown, but when I came to Defiance College campus the black squirrels were everywhere,” Lyle said.

Some people may see a difference in how a black squirrel may act. “Yeah there’s definitely a big difference between black and brown squirrels,” Lyle said. “Black squirrels are bold. I’ll be walking down the sidewalk and they’ll just run right in front of me and they’ll stop. Brown squirrels normally run away. Black squirrels are also a little bit bigger than brown squirrels.”

The rarity of black squirrels is unbelievable. According to smithsonianmag.com, every “one in 10,000” squirrels are considered to be black squirrels.

Throughout today’s generation of college students, a common enjoyable past-time that appears to be shared among the majority is watching streaming services, whether it be Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, or now, Disney Plus. Each of these programs charges viewers a monthly fee to gain access to a multitude of movies, shows, and documentaries. Even though each of the programs are watched by students on campus, not all of them are seen as worthy of equal praise.

Ever since its creation, Netflix has prospered to be one of the most well-known streaming services. With a monthly fee starting at only $9.00 a month, Netflix is undeniably an affordable option for college students. In fact, Netflix appears to be extremely popular amongst students at Defiance College in comparison to the other options. Many of those who are users of Netflix, admitted to having tried Hulu and Amazon only to later revert back to Netflix. One student stated that “with Netflix, you get more for your money.”

Aside from Netflix, another popular streaming service is Hulu. Like Netflix, viewers have access to a variety of showings. However, with Hulu, starting at around $7.00, subscribers are only able to watch a portion of movies and shows, unless they purchase “add-on” packages. This can be a concern for college students who don’t always have the means to make such purchases. Although, several have claimed that Hulu is worth it, given that Hulu provides episodes within several days of when they first air on TV, whereas Netflix doesn’t add them until around a year later.

Amazon Prime is yet another option for streaming. A Prime subscription costs around $9.00, but one special feature offered by Amazon is the prime student discount, making the required payment only $6.49 monthly. With their Prime membership, users have access to a gallery of free movies and shows, however, they also have access to plenty of other options if they choose to pay for that movie or show.

The newest streaming platform to spark interest is Disney Plus. For about $7.00 per month, Disney Plus provides its viewers with nearly every Disney classic one can imagine–from Bambi to Hannah Montana. This source of streaming is least common among students on campus because it was just released and not many have made the purchase yet. However, several students have described it as “well worth the money,” and an “obsession.” Unlike the other streaming programs, Disney Plus showcases the childhood nostalgia that today’s generation of students knows and loves, which is what makes those who have it extremely fond of it.

A vast amount of the students on campus use at least one, if not more of these streaming services. However, more appear to favor Netflix over other options.

Students have shared that they are more satisfied with the selections available on Netflix and appreciate the fact that the monthly rate of $9.00 grants them access to the entirety of what Netflix has available. Several, who have tried one or more streaming sources, also agree with this statement.

Regardless of which type of streaming service one prefers, it is evident that the quality of each of these programs is promising, especially to the students here at Defiance College.

Some of you may be wondering what there is to do in Defiance on these snow-covered winter days. Well, this upcoming weekend has a lot of exciting events planned.

One event you can be involved with is the Student Veterans of America Organization. They are putting together Thanksgiving care packages for veterans. The organization is asking for donations of perishable food items and/or cash donations. They would like the care packages to have everything to make a full dinner and will include a voucher that can be turned into Jacob’s Meats for a turkey. They are asking for items such as dehydrated instant potato flakes, canned milk, canned vegetables, cake mixes, and canned cranberry sauce. Donations can be taken to Defiance Hall 105 no later than Friday, November 22nd. Their goal is 12 complete dinners. So get out and get shopping!

The community is invited to the Elks Lodge #147 for Bingo Night happening on Friday, November 22, 2019. Doors open at 6:00 pm and Bingo starts at 7:00 pm. Some prizes are 32″ tv, gift cards, home decor, and miscellaneous gift baskets. Come out for a cheap night of fun and win prizes. There will also be a bake sale. The Elks lodge is located at 1760 Jefferson Ave in Defiance.

Another event going on this weekend is the Intramural Turkey Shootout. It was supposed to take place this weekend on Sunday, November 17th, but it was moved back to next weekend on November 24th due to meeting conflicts. If you are interested in participating, all you need to do is turn in a team roster by Friday, November 22nd.

If that’s not enough of basketball, the men’s basketball team takes on Kent State – Tuscarawas on Friday, November 22nd at 5:30 pm at Thomas Moore. Then on Saturday, November 23rd at 1 pm, they will compete against Akron-Wayne Warriors in the Conner Classic Tournament.

Women’s basketball also plays on the 23rd against the St. Mary Belles at 1 pm in Notre Dame, Indiana.

In other sports news, wrestling faces Baldwin Wallace away on Saturday, November 23rd. These games may be away, but you should definitely check out their live stream if you can’t make it. Go yellow jackets!!

On Friday, November 22nd from 7:30-9 pm, the Young People’s Theatre is presenting the Wizard of Oz. It will be held at the Stroede Center for the Arts. Tickets are $5 at the door and the performance will have you thinking “I’m not in Defiance anymore.” For more info, visit their page here: http://www.defiancearts.org/upcomingevents.html